How To Earn A Dog's Trust

So this is the first thing I've written on here since setting up my account, and all I wanted was to do something simplistic for it. If you're reading this it's because it's because you want to see what tips I have, and not because it is a last resort because your dog doesn't like to trust people. In that situation I would like to advise you to talk to a professional and not take all this advice from me, and just because these things worked for me does not mean it is guaranteed to work for you too.

Whenever I meet a dog, I try to move as close to the floor as possible, making myself seem as small and as far from intimidating as possible. This serves to make the dog feel unthreatened and therefore automatically more comfortable around you as opposed to someone who is stood up, looming over them, making them feel like they're being challenged.

Let the dog get to know your scent. If the dog knows what you smell like, and smell of, it can put it at ease. It has all the information it needs to know about you from that smell, and if you're calm and not doing anything to threaten the dog then it associates your smell with safety and comfort.

Try not to be too loud around the dog, nothing that can make it jump or change it's (hopefully) calm attitude to an aggressive one.

Don't forget to check the dog's body language. If it is crouched to the floor in a far corner of the room, don't move towards it, just do your own thing and let it come to you. If the dog feels cornered it is less likely to trust you, and more likely to become aggressive. If it is smelling you, tail between its legs, try not to move too suddenly and resist the urge to make a fuss of it, as it can easily become spooked and run away. If however its tail is in the air, and it is smelling you excitedly, then you can try to make a fuss of it, but look for signs of it trying to move away from you. If you see these then stop. In the best case scenario the dog will not be trying to get away from you when you make a fuss of it, and may even try to stand on your legs or lick your hands or face.

One of the best tests of a dog's trust is treats. If it eats treats, especially from your hands, it trusts you enough to take food from you. An especially good test is to move away from the dog with the treat, and see if it follows you, or comes to you to get the treat. This means that the dog knows you mean it no harm and can take food from you.

If the dog tries to sit on your lap, or have its head on you, or be touching some part of you when it tries to sleep, it means it trusts you to protect it while it's sleeping. Many dogs, especially puppies, are picky about where they sleep, and anxious dogs will look for some kind of security blanket to feel comfortable enough to go to sleep. Or as something to make them feel safe in uncomfortable situations such as meeting other dogs for the first time, or going somewhere new.

I hope this brief guide has at least been a little helpful, and obviously all steps can not be completed this quickly, earning a dog's trust can take time. Some dogs trust almost instantly, and some can take weeks if not months of working with them to get them to trust you. Just remember that you're doing an amazing job, and you'll get to where you need to be in the end.

Thanks for reading, have a good day!